Chapter 465: Opening with a Famous Sword Underfoot

"Underfoot?"

Yu Zhiwen was clearly intelligent, as she immediately arrived at the same conclusion as Xu Xiaoshou. Since it was impossible for the two of them to attract such a massive bone beast tide, it must be that these sensitive creatures had scented some treasure capable of making them stronger, hence their stampede.

Both lowered their heads simultaneously. Yu Zhiwen was the first to extend her spiritual sense downwards, but she found nothing. Xu Xiaoshou wore an even stranger expression. Before he dug the hole, he had already compressed his "perception" range and scanned the area below. He was afraid of encountering a terrifying mutated species—the excavator version of the bone giants. Yet, just now, let alone white skeletons, there wasn't even a strange stone emitting special spiritual energy. How could this treasure possibly be hidden underfoot?

"Could it be even deeper?"

A chill ran through his heart. Feeling the quiet calm above, the bone beast tide creating a stillness before a storm, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare to let his mind wander. He compressed his "perception" range again, extending it in a linear fashion, rapidly probing downwards. Still nothing!

"This..."

In the pit, the man and woman exchanged glances, both speechless. Yu Zhiwen had even secretly used her Star Pupils, but apart from the quiet, she gained no other insights.

"Perhaps the beast tide is tired, so they stopped to rest?" she mumbled, half-dazed. As soon as the words left her lips, her face began to flush with embarrassment. Had she been spending too much time with Xu Xiaoshou and caught his absurdity? To utter such a ridiculous statement herself...

Xu Xiaoshou was in no mood for jokes. Unable to detect any movement below, he immediately refocused his attention on the mass of bone giants above. The beast tide was simply too vast! Even with his considerable perception range, he couldn't encompass it entirely. It was evident just how spectacular the number of white skeletons that had come to surround them was. Xu Xiaoshou couldn't grasp the overall situation, but he could clearly see the movements within small localized areas. Xu Xiaoshou held his breath, quietly waiting for the white skeletons above to make their next move.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, the giants made further moves. These white skeletons, usually prone to violent outbursts and even fighting over a mere glance, now squeezed and pushed without a sound, even as their feet were crushed. Finally, after much jostling, a small cleared space remained in the center of the beast tide, created by the shifting of numerous toe bones.

"Roar, roar, roar..."

The white skeletons surrounding this small clearing let out hoarse roars, their bodies swaying up and down as if in rhythm, like a tribe of savages preparing to dance around a bonfire. This ritualistic scene was truly eerie. Xu Xiaoshou felt a pang of discomfort. It was only when he suddenly snapped out of his daze that he realized his "perception" was extended vertically upwards. This meant that the small clearing was, by ill luck, directly above them!

"I'm a little scared..."

Yu Zhiwen, whose Star Pupils were active, had clearly seen the same scene. The girl was genuinely panicked. Even if the bone giants were to start digging them out right then, it probably wouldn't be as horrifying as this sight. After a wave of the beast tide, they stop surrounding them and begin a ritual?

"No!"

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils suddenly constricted. The bone giants would never act this way without reason. And if it were a ritual, these creatures didn't even have an altar. But looking at these excited, expectant, and occasionally glancing-downward behemoths...

"What are they waiting for?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart suddenly stop beating. Bone giants, fire-elemental treasure, underground, waiting...

"Damn it, this isn't going to be a direct volcanic eruption, is it?!" Xu Xiaoshou was terrified. He suddenly saw the jumping giants above collectively freeze and then scurry back, as if startled by some peculiar aura.

"Passive points received: Ambush, 1."

This message abruptly popped up in the information bar. Even without the notification, Xu Xiaoshou instantly felt a searing energy surge from deep beneath his feet. Its speed was almost unheard of!

"Not good!"

Xu Xiaoshou lunged, embracing the girl in front of him and pulling her under his arm.

Impact!

With a "bang," the two were instantly blasted several feet away from their original spot deep underground. Yu Zhiwen was stunned. She had naturally felt the same searing energy. Just as she was about to react, Xu Xiaoshou had already undeniably scooped her up and flown away!

It was her first time being held in a stranger's embrace. To be honest, that dizzying sensation directly overwhelmed her external perception. Xu Xiaoshou's embrace... Yu Zhiwen's heart pounded. She felt none of the warmth and softness that novels often described as accompanying a surge of protectiveness. Instead, there was only intense pain from the sudden impact of his body against the ground and the subsequent recoil. But even under these circumstances, Yu Zhiwen knew that Xu Xiaoshou was exerting himself to dissipate the force. Otherwise, an unconscious exertion from him might have caused her to shatter instantly.

"Charge—"

Almost at the exact moment Xu Xiaoshou lunged away, the molten pillar of light from underground erupted from their original position. In less than half a breath, it completed its leap from the abyss to the heavens.

"Boom!"

The moment it burst through the earth, the fiery pillar of light instantly overturned all the bone giants who thought they had retreated far enough, connecting directly with the sky. At this moment, almost everyone in the White Cave witnessed this celestial phenomenon. Mountains shook, and the air hummed. The scorching, intense fiery aura spread outwards, instantly melting the nearest bone giants into dust.

"Roar!"

These brainless, brawny "adorables" panicked. They tried to flee, stepping on each other, pushing with their shoulders, not even caring if they trampled their comrades. But it was too late! After reaching its zenith, the fiery pillar of light could no longer contain its energy and exploded horizontally.

"Rumble—"

At that moment, it was as if disaster had struck. Lava poured, and fire rained from the sky. The dust and debris from dozens of miles around instantly exploded, followed by fire waves visible to the naked eye. Like a heavy blow from a deity, this destructive energy spread, instantly annihilating the ground and tearing space open. Black voids enveloped and swallowed everything. A small portion of the bone beast tide was utterly annihilated, not even a speck of ash remaining. The rest, those who bore the brunt of the energy shockwave, were likewise swept hundreds of miles away.

"My goodness..."

Yu Zhiwen watched everything unfold in a daze. She couldn't understand how she had survived, unharmed, when such a throne-level destructive energy had exploded mere feet away from her.

She shakily stood up. Looking around, the apocalyptic scene filled her vision. Beneath the black void, countless black-and-red magma-forged serpents writhed freely. Though she sensed no sentience, they seemed alive, heaving their horrifyingly massive bodies. An abyss, dozens of miles wide, had spread from the center of the fiery pillar. Scattered fragments of bone giant corpses lay haphazardly, signifying that the world was no longer as it once was.

"I'm still alive?" Yu Zhiwen felt utterly absurd, as if it were all a dream. The sudden beast tide, the sudden moment of solitude, the sudden eruption... Her heart suddenly raced.

"Wait, where's Xu Xiaoshou?"

Just then, a sliver of golden light appeared in her vision, against the backdrop of the collapsing black void. Only then did Yu Zhiwen realize she was no longer underground but airborne. Not flying? The solid feeling of something beneath her feet wouldn't lie. Yu Zhiwen slowly looked down and was startled to see that what she was standing on was also a patch of golden light. She finally understood. She looked back. She looked up.

A red-eyed golden giant?

At this moment, the shock in Yu Zhiwen's heart was beyond words. In this absurd world, with an apocalyptic landscape behind it, a golden giant had protected her with its hands? And the scene she had just witnessed was through the gaps in its fingers? Yu Zhiwen would probably never forget this scene for the rest of her life. She stared blankly at the golden giant's face. After a long moment, she finally discerned a familiar trace, and immediately cried out in alarm:

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Passive points received: Called, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual platform jolted. He had finally found a lifeline in the endless sea of suffering. Grabbing onto the source of that sound, he barely managed to pull his consciousness back from the brink of collapse.

"Crack, crack—"

The Berserk Giant's body creaked and groaned. After a slight tremor, it exploded. Xu Xiaoshou, covered in blood, could no longer hold on and fell directly from the void.

"Whoosh!"

Yu Zhiwen, quick-eyed and quick-handed, flashed over and caught him. She slowly descended to the ground, carefully propped him up, and then asked with both surprise and concern:

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

It seemed that apart from repeating his name, nothing else could express her shock and bewilderment. That golden giant... What kind of spirit skill was it? How could Xu Xiaoshou, with his Xiantian cultivation, transform into such an existence and then withstand such a violent attack?

"A celestial phenomenon..." Yu Zhiwen gave a bitter smile. She knew about celestial phenomena. These were special events that accompanied the birth of peerless treasures that rooted themselves in the world and absorbed its essence. Essentially, every time one appeared, a nearby city, or even a whole commandery, might vanish. But Yu Zhiwen had never imagined that in her lifetime, she would encounter a celestial phenomenon erupting right beside her. If one were to call this bad luck, then there were likely only a handful of people in the world who had experienced such a situation. But to call it incredibly good luck... Yu Zhiwen knew that without Xu Xiaoshou, she would be dead by now. While treasures born from celestial phenomena were indeed powerful, if one couldn't survive to claim them, who would dare to discuss good or bad luck?

"I owe you my life..." Yu Zhiwen murmured, a hint of sorrow in her voice. She cradled Xu Xiaoshou's cold head, looked at the desolate world around them, and finally, unable to suppress the grief in her heart, buried her face and began to sob.

However, her sobs hadn't lasted long when a trembling groan came from his chest. "Suffocating..."

"Huh?" Yu Zhiwen's crying stopped short. She carefully loosened her embrace on Xu Xiaoshou, unwilling to make any large movements that might cause him further harm. Then, she watched in shock as his broken body visibly began to repair itself. If she hadn't pulled away quickly, she might have been "repaired" into him herself!

"This..."

"Passive points received: Doubted, 1."

"Xu Xiaoshou, you're not dead?" Yu Zhiwen wiped away her tears. She couldn't believe that after such an attack, Xu Xiaoshou had not only saved her but was still alive himself. That was damage even a Throne-level cultivator would struggle to withstand!

Xu Xiaoshou looked upwards in confusion until his consciousness recovered a little more. He then moved his head to the side and saw Yu Zhiwen's tear-streaked face. He suddenly realized something and moved his head back. "I can die a little longer."

"You!" Yu Zhiwen was instantly exasperated and amused. She immediately pushed away his head, which seemed to be trying to take advantage, and then said with a blush, "At a time like this, and you're still not serious."

With a "thud," Xu Xiaoshou's head hit the ground. The failure of his passive skills was something he had only experienced before when "Full of Vigor" was depleted. But now, he experienced all of them at once. Just hitting his head on the ground caused him to wince in pain, leaving him speechless for a long time. The explosion had been so powerful it had almost crippled Xu Xiaoshou. "Always exploding others, eventually getting exploded myself?" Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

Yu Zhiwen saw his head hit the ground and immediately panicked again. "Are you... are you alright?" She reached out to help him, but Xu Xiaoshou irritably pushed her hand away.

"I'm fine. I saved your life, and this is how you repay your savior?" He added, "I'm perfectly fine, my head, my hands, my whole body, not a single bit hurts!"

Yu Zhiwen: "..." Watching Xu Xiaoshou holding his head and struggling, she suddenly burst into laughter through her tears. "You're like a child."

Xu Xiaoshou was immediately indignant. "You're the one who's like a child! From head to toe, you're like a child!" His gaze suddenly lingered. "Except for this..."

"Ouch!" He was slapped in the face. Xu Xiaoshou, who had struggled halfway up, was pushed back down to the ground by Yu Zhiwen. The girl, her ears red, finished her move and then realized she had used too much force.

"Are you... are you alright?"

Xu Xiaoshou: "..." Had this girl's memory gone short-circuiting? That line again?

"I'm fine. I saved your life, and this is how you repay your savior?" He continued, "I'm perfectly fine, my head, my hands, my whole body, not a single bit hurts." Xu Xiaoshou didn't even change his tone.

Yu Zhiwen blinked her beautiful eyes, vaguely feeling that these words sounded familiar. Then she thought, wasn't this exactly what Xu Xiaoshou had just said? Word for word?

"Goodness!" Her smiling eyes immediately curved, and she raised a fist, threatening, "Talk back again!"

"You want to hit me again?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened.

Yu Zhiwen had learned not to accept any of Xu Xiaoshou's rhetorical questions. She lifted her chin and pressed her lips together. "Yes!"

"Passive points received: Deceived, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's stream of cheeky remarks was abruptly interrupted by the information bar. Beside them, the molten pillar of fire still shot skyward. Black holes sizzled, and space rapidly repaired itself. The screams of the bone giants rose and fell, like monkeys wailing by the riverbanks. Amidst the apocalypse, their frozen scene seemed to genuinely calm down.

Xu Xiaoshou gazed dazedly at the girl who was feigning anger with her raised fist. Her cherry-red lips on her oval face, her loose black hair swaying in the noisy wind. Bright eyes, white teeth, and faint tear streaks. Amidst the tear-filled sorrow, there was a hint of provoked annoyance, just as a moment of peace remained for them in this apocalyptic world.

"Such a pretty girl, why wear a veil?" Xu Xiaoshou retracted his gaze and pushed away her fist. Feeling his body recovering by more than half, he slowly propped himself up.

"Pretty, veil..." Yu Zhiwen's heart was puzzled, then her beautiful eyes suddenly widened, and she frantically patted her cheeks with both hands. With that touch, she knew: her veil was gone.

"You!" There was no sunset glow, but Xu Xiaoshou had seen this girl blush countless times in just this short period. She was truly too bashful!

He laughed and said, "I thought there might be some unique scars or marks from youthful indiscretions, but there's nothing. You're so beautiful, why wear a veil? Are you afraid of irritating other girls?"

"I..." Yu Zhiwen's pretty face turned red again. She could tell Xu Xiaoshou was complimenting her, but why did his words always sound so awkward coming from him?

"Shut up!" She cupped her face and turned her head away. The remnants of the apocalypse seemed more appealing than Xu Xiaoshou at that moment. Yu Zhiwen's heart pounded wildly. She knew she had a spare veil in her ring, but she suddenly couldn't recall where it was.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled without speaking, not teasing the girl further. Instead, he turned his gaze to the fiery pillar of light that had blasted him away.

He reacted quickly. When he realized the pillar would explode a second time, he had considered taking out his spatial artifact, the Yuanfu. But at that moment, it wasn't about whether Yu Zhiwen would discover his Yuanfu. He didn't know if the Yuanfu space would withstand the attack and shatter. If it did, would he die instantly inside the interdimensional space, be exiled to the void, or perhaps... transmigrate again? Xu Xiaoshou couldn't afford to gamble. His education wasn't extensive. His understanding of space and physics was limited to simple maxims like "Give me a fulcrum," and he couldn't even remember the next line. He didn't understand concepts like three-dimensional, four-dimensional, or folded space theory. Since he couldn't understand, the best way to withstand this attack was with his body!

Therefore, after donning a "turtle shell" given by Elder Sang, he clutched the bronze carving. As expected, the turtle shell was instantly blown away. Left with no choice, he had to transform into the Berserk Giant and then painstakingly protect Yu Zhiwen.

"So, where's the big bathtub?" Xu Xiaoshou expanded his "perception" and finally located the cauldron, which had been blasted and embedded far into the ground. Surprisingly, it didn't have a single crack. "As expected of that old man's stuff..." Xu Xiaoshou pulled, manipulating the "big bathtub" back with sword intent. The explosive force had simply been too great for him to hold onto the cauldron. Otherwise, if he had truly been protected by it, he might not have been so severely injured now! He silently put the cauldron away. Yu Zhiwen watched silently from the side. Neither of them spoke.

At this moment, the energy from the fiery pillar of light seemed to be almost fully released. A faint shadow began to emerge within the light pillar. Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare to probe with his perception. It was too hot. A mere touch felt like a soul-burning sensation. This aura seemed even hotter than his own Cinderflame aura. Even if Elder Sang were here, he might not be able to surpass this fiery presence.

"What is that thing?" He frowned, squinting his eyes. Before he could clearly see the faint light and shadow within, the surrounding ground suddenly began to tremble simultaneously.

"This is..." Yu Zhiwen and Xu Xiaoshou exchanged glances, both showing surprise in their eyes.

"Sword intent?" The shadow hidden deep within the fiery pillar turned out to be a sword?

"The Four Swords of Calamity?" Xu Xiaoshou blurted out instantly. At that moment, he even felt an urge to draw his Black Descent sheath and verify it.

"No." Yu Zhiwen shook her head directly. Her Star Pupils became active, staring intently at the fiery pillar. She finally couldn't help but gasp in amazement, covering her red lips.

"What is it?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Blaze Serpent!" Yu Zhiwen's voice held an undisguised astonishment.

"Blaze Serpent... what's that?" Yu Zhiwen tilted her head, looking at Xu Xiaoshou with a blank, disbelieving expression. Then, she slowly exhaled and said, "A Named Sword, Rank Three!"

"Named Sword?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart tightened. He had seen Named Swords! Su Qianqian's Tomb-Naming City Snow, Tears of Two Paths' Soul-Drawing Staff, Sword Bearer's Lotus Overcome, Nine Swordsman's Alluring Demoness... But none of these were his sword!

As a swordsman, if one were to say that he could cultivate "Hidden Suffering" into a Named Sword purely through his own spirit, it wasn't a baseless claim. Xu Xiaoshou genuinely believed he could do it. But at the same time, as a swordsman, seeing other swordsmen wield Named Swords while he could only hold a mere eighth-grade spirit sword from the sheath of the Eighth Sword Immortal's former personal weapon... To say he wasn't sad was untrue.

Xu Xiaoshou needed a sword. A sword that, in certain situations where "Hidden Suffering" couldn't yet be brought out, would allow him to avoid being forced to abandon his strongest sword arts and instead use a sword from the Spirit Refinement or Body Forging path! Now, amidst this celestial phenomenon that had erupted beside him, blasted him to smithereens, and almost killed him on the spot, there was a fire-elemental Named Sword! Wasn't this tailor-made for him? Xu Xiaoshou was ecstatic. He couldn't calm down at all. He had wanted the "Four Swords of Calamity" because, despite its infamous reputation, it was a peerless existence not listed among Named Swords, even surpassing them. But now, he had a second path. An easier path! That was to completely give up on contending for the "Four Swords of Calamity," entirely abandon the various risks he might encounter, and instead choose the one right in front of him... A Named Sword!

"Blaze Serpent..." Xu Xiaoshou looked at the writhing giant serpents formed from black and red magma around them, experiencing for the first time the meaning of "misfortune is what good fortune relies upon."

"Are you a sword cultivator?" He suddenly turned and asked Yu Zhiwen.

Yu Zhiwen's expression flickered. She immediately thought of Xu Xiaoshou's Black Descent sheath. If she wasn't a sword cultivator, wasn't a worshipper of the Eighth Sword Immortal, why would she covet the Black Descent sheath, and why would she bother coming all this way to suffer in this small place, Tian Sang County?

"No," she said, shaking her head with a smile, lively spirit patterns dancing among her fingers. "I told you, I'm a Heaven's Revelation Diviner."

"Passive points received: Deceived, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's excited mood halted. He swore. If that information hadn't popped up in the info bar, even Xu Dajia, who prided himself on his absolute ability to discern people's hearts, wouldn't have seen that Yu Zhiwen was actually lying with a smile.

He gazed deeply at the girl and said solemnly, "The Named Sword is mine. From now on, whatever you want, just tell me."

"Alright!" Yu Zhiwen agreed at lightning speed, tilting her head slightly with a radiant smile. "That's a Named Sword, after all. From now on, I won't be polite."